Augusta Coin Club Monthly Newsletter

The Augusta Coin Club Meets on the 3 rd Thursday of the Month at America’s Best Value Inn on Washington Road

Pres. Steven Nix
1 st V.P. Glenn Sanders
2 nd V.P. Howard Black
Sec. John T. Attaway
Treas. Mike Joesbury
Sgt. in Arms: Bryan Hoyt
and Joe Bert

The Augusta Coin Club since 1959

Club Mailing Address

Augusta Coin Club
P.O. Box 2084
Evans, GA 30809

Web site:

www.augustacoinclub.org

Special Duties
Webmaster: Steven Nix
Newsletter editor, Amo Safran
E-mail: amosafran@comcast.net
Bourse Chairman, David Chism
Auction: Glenn Sanders
Bids Recorder, David Chism

Volume 13, Number 4

THE AUGUSTA COIN CLUB MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

April, 2013

Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 18 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM

!!! Last Meeting Before Spring Show !!!

Club Meeting Calendar for 2013

Jan. 17 May 16 Sep. 19

Feb. 21 June 20 Oct. 17

Mar. 21 July 18 Nov. 21

Apr. 18 Aug. 15 Dec. 19

April 18 Meeting last chance to help out at show

Every member knows the routine. Our bourse
Chairman David Chism starts planning each semiannual club
show almost immediately after the previous one is over. He
arranges for the location’s availability, setting the date for a time
that doesn’t conflict with other coin club events occurring in
neighboring states. After the date is approved by the Board,
David begins sending out show contracts to dealers (with positive
responses usually increasing in number as the show date approaches).

Flyers are printed followed by raffle tickets well in advance of
the event that include five numismatic prizes, the first being a
gold coin. David does all this! All we have to do is show up!

Since being priced out of the Belair Conference Center
several years ago, the ACC Board approved the move to
Patriot’s Park and we have been holding our shows twice a year
ever since. The place is huge. It can hold up to 100 tables if the
entire floor is filled. The price to the club is a fraction of what
the smaller Belair Conference Center charged. The only
drawback seems to have been the lower than expected public
attendance. Some members think the location is too far out and
away from motels and restaurants to draw sufficient attendance
by the public. The editor no longer believes this to be the
problem since the site draws thousands of people to the
fireworks celebration held there each Fourth of July holiday.
The citizens of the CSRA know where Patriot’s Park is and
enjoy coming out to specific events held there along with the'
annual fair held diagonally across Columbia Road during our
Fall Show. We, as members of the ACC, have to do a better job
with publicity, first by showing up ourselves. We also need sell
more raffle tickets and distribute lots of flyers in public places
where permissible. On April 18, the date of our next meeting,
please volunteer to help out and thanks in advance.

Collecting the US Coins of 1813
200 Years Ago By Arno Safran

The obverses of an 1813 Year set (excluding gold)

An 1813 Classic Head Large cent and Capped Bust half-dollar
[Use 3 X glass or maximize page to 150% to view details.]

On March 4, 1813, James Madison started his second
term as 4 th President of the United States. This was in the midst
of the “War of 1812” with Great Britain that began back on June
19, 1812. Battles were being waged at sea and in different parts
of our country with many lives being lost on both sides. By mid
1813 our young nation was beginning to get a handle on the
situation with victories over the British in Canada, Michigan,
New York State and Ohio. One of the casualties of the war was
our coinage program. As in the previous year, only three coins
were struck out of the ten authorized denominations, one for
each ahoy. These included the copper large cent, the silver half
dollar and the gold $5.00 half-eagle.

The reverses of an 1813 Year set (excluding gold)

An 1813 Classic Head Large cent and Capped Bust half-dollar
[Use 3 X glass or maximize page to 150% to view details.

(Continued on page 2, column 1)

Vol. 13. No. 4

The Augusta. GA Coin Club Monthly Newsletter

April 2013

Collecting the US Coins of 1813: 200 Years Ago

(Continued from page 1, column 2)

An 1813 Classic Head Large cent, S-292 grading XF-45

[Use 3 X glass or maximize page to 150% to view details.]

The Classic Head large cent was designed by Assistant
Chief Engraver John Reich and was first struck by the US Mint
in Philadelphia in 1808. During this period hostilities between
England and the US increased and the Mint began to have
difficulties obtaining quality copper blanks for the coining of
and cents and half-cents with the latter being suspended after
1811. By 1813, the situation was becoming dire. Compared with
over 1.4 million large cents minted in 1812, the reported
mintage for all 1813 cents came to just 418,000. Many of the
blanks arrived in a sorry state of preservation because of
insufficient storage aboard ship or sabotage. Some were black
while others were porous or corroded. The Mint needed every
one of these planchets to strike the new cent coins, which is why
so many survivors appear unsightly today. According to the
2013 Red book , an 1813 cent graded VG-8 is listed at $120. One
in Fine condition is listed at more than twice as much at $265
while a VF-20 specimen is priced at $650. Locating a chocolate-
brown porous-free copper 1813 Classic Head large cent
regardless of the grade presents a challenge for the collector and
when found, expect to pay a premium over average or scudzy
pieces. In 1813, a cent had the purchasing power of 150.

An 1813 Capped Bust Lettered Edge 50^ 0-103 R2, grading AU-55

[Use 3 X glass or maximize page to 150% to view details.]

The Capped Bust half dollar was struck from 1807 thru
1836 in every year except 1816 when a fire at the Philadelphia
Mint in January, 1816 caused all coining operations to cease.
The reported mintage for the 1813 Capped Bust half was
1,241,903. While these figures pale compared with those struck
from 1824 on, the date is still available and affordable from
Fine-12 thru XF-45 and is not considered scarce, let alone rare.

After the suspension of silver dollar coinage in 1804,
the 500 denomination became the largest circulating silver coin
and as such was used mainly as specie by the banking system to
back business transactions. During the early 19 th century, a half-
dollar had the purchasing power of $7.25 and as such

represented a coin of considerable value. Today however, the
date is not as inexpensive as it once was. An 1813 Bust half in
Fine-12 is listed in the 2013 Red Book at $110, $160, in VF-20
and at $265 in XF-40. Twenty years ago, the same'date was
priced at only $37.50 in Fine-12, $60.00 in VF-20 and just
$125.00 in XF-40. What brought about such a tremendous
increase? The main answer lies in the large number of new
entrants that joined the hobby of coin collecting after 1999, the
year the Statehood quarters program began thereby reducing the
supply of eye appealing Bust half specimens.

The Gold Coinage of 1813

An 1813 gold Capped bust facing left $5.00 Half-eagle
Graded MS-64 by PCGS and CAC
(Courtesy of Heritage Auctions Archives]

[Use 3 X glass or maximize page to 150% to view details.]

In all probability, 99% of US coin collectors will not be
able to acquire one of the 95,428 gold $5.00 half-eagles
reportedly struck in 1813, let alone the gem BU example
pictured directly above This specimen realized $47,000 at the
Heritage Signature Auction concluded on August 3, 2012.

1813 is an important year regarding half-eagle coinage. In that
year, Asst. Chief Engraver John Reich modified the design type
he first created in 1807. Reich altered and enlarged the head
considerably while placing the 13 stars in a continuous arc as
opposed to the seven at the left and six at right that appeared the
previous year. Regarding the reverse, the eagle appears to be
larger thereby crowding the motto above and parts of the legend,
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounding it. One might argue
that neither side was an improvement over the previous type.

1812 & 1813 $5 compared
Each graded MS-64 by PCGS & CAC
(Courtesy of Heritage Auctions Archives]

[Use 3 X glass or maximize page to 200% to view details.]

For most collectors, this should not pose any concern as
very few will be able add either half eagle type to their 1812 or
6 13 year sets, being content to acquire the nicest examples of the
Classic Head cent and Capped But half-dollar they can afford.

Vol. 13. No. 4

The Augusta. GA Coin Club Monthly Newsletter

April 2013

Costa Rica Currency

By Bill Myers

Obverses of the contemporary Costa Rican coinage

[Use a 3x glass or magnify page to 200% to view details.]

In February 2013 my wife Kathy and I took a trip to
Costa Rica. We went there to see the flora and fauna. Being a
numismatist, I brought back coins and notes as a souvenir.

The currency of Costa Rica has been affected by
inflation like the rest of the world. The main monetary unit is
the colon , named after Cristobol Colon (Christopher Columbus)
which is divided into 100 centavos. The various denominations
of centavos coins are no longer manufactured and the lowest
valued coin I came across was the 5 colones. Although it varies,
there are approximately 500 colones to the dollar which means
the 5 colones coin is valued at 1 US cent.

Reverses of the contemporary Costa Rican coinage
[Use a 3x glass or magnify page to 200% to view details.]

I was able to obtain brass versions of the coin but they
are now composed of aluminum, due its low value. The same
applies to the 10 colones coins. The older ones are brass and the
new ones are aluminum and I was able to obtain both.).

The other coins in circulation are brass 25, 50, 100 and 500
colones. They all have the coat of arms of Costa Rica on the
obverse with the date and the denomination on the reverse as a
numeral and in Braille along with BCCR (Banco Central de
Costa Rica. For what the coins lack in artistic quality is more
than made up by Costa Rica’s notes. I obtained the four notes
available in Costa Rica. They are valued at 1000, 2000, 5000
and 10,000 colones. The width of the note increases as the
denomination increases. The notes are very colorful and make a
nice set.

The Costa Rican 1000 colones
[Use a 3x glass or magnify page to 200% to view details.]

The 1000 colones note is composed of polymer and is
red. It has two clear windows on it with one having the
silhouette of a sea turtle and the other serves as a watermark and
has an image of Braulio Carrillo Colina (Costa Rica Head of
State 1835-1842) whose portrait is also on the face of the note.
The serial numbers are on the back along with a White-Tailed
Deer, a Guanacaste tree (Ear Pod tree - the national tree) and a
Dragon fruit plant.

The remaining 3 notes are composed of paper and are
all in the same style. They have a portrait on the left and a
watermark of the same portrait on the right of the face. There is
a foil strip to the left of the portrait on the face. The reverse
features various native plants and animals of Costa Rica.

On the blue 2000 colones note the portrait is Mauro
Femandex Acuna, (a Costa Rican politician and lawyer) on the
face and on the back is a Bull Shark, Laguna Starfish and Sea
Pens (plant).

(Continued on page 4, column 1)

Vol. 13. No. 4

The Augusta. GA Coin Club Monthly Newsletter

April 2013

Costa Rica Currency

(Continued from the preceding page)

The Costa Rican 2,000 colones

On the yellow 5000 colones note is the portrait of
Alfredo Gonzalez Flores (president of Costa Rica 1914-1917)
and on the back is a Capuchin Monkey, a crab and a Red
Mangrove tree.

COLONES

A0 12644025

A012644025

COLONES

BANCO CENTRAL DE COSTA RICA

The Costa Rican 5,000 colones

On the green 10,000 colones note is the portrait of Jose
Figures Ferrer (president of Costa Rica three times from 1948 to
1973) and on the back is a Three Toed Sloth, Venus’ Wine Cup
(a fungus) and an orchid.

All of the paper notes have the denomination in Braille on the
upper right part of the back of the note. There are two
interesting anti-counterfeiting devices on all of the notes. On the
back there is an image of a plant on the left and right edges of
the note. If the note is curved into a circle these images line up.
On the face, the denomination is printed vertically in the upper
corners and is split so that it also lines up when the note is
curved into a circle. In addition, there is part of a number (1,2,
5, and 10 respectively) on the face and back of the notes. When
held up to light they form a complete number. All of these
features would be difficult to replicate in counterfeiting.

The Costa Rican 10,000 colones

We enjoyed the trip and have numismatic souvenirs to
remind us of the trip.

References:

Braulio Carrillo Colina at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braulio Carrillo Colina
Mauro Femandex Acuna

at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauro Fem%C3%Alndez Acu%C3%Bla

Alfredo Gonzalez Flores at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo Gonz%C3%Allez Flores

Jose Figures Ferrer at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9 Figueres Ferrer

Dr. Bill Myers, a hand surgeon started out collecting numismatic items
with hands appearing on them but has since branched out assembling
sets of coins and paper money issues from the many countries he has
visited as a Colonel with the United States Army Medical Corps. He
served as President of the Augusta Coin Club during the middle of the
first decade of the 21 st Century, occasionally interrupted by tours of
duty in Iraq during the height of that conflict. Bill has been a role
model for many of us who have come to know him. He collects what
interests him yet has the desire to share these topics with others by
composing articles of interest usually accompanied by images of the
coins and banknotes from these various countries he has visited. Bill
left the CSRA at the end of 2008 for Tuscan, AZ, (Ed.)

Vol. 13, No. 4

The Augusta, GA Coin Club Monthly Newsletter

April 2013

Club News

President Steven Nix called the March 21 meeting to
order at 7:00 PM. The Minutes by Secretary John Attaway were
waived; a copy to be kept on file and the Treasurer’s report by
Mike Joesbury showed a balance of $9,482.10. President Nix
reported on the 2013 club medallion which will feature the
Confederate Monument on the obverse. The medallions will be
struck in three metal alloys, antique bronze, antique copper and
silver wash; the last named having virtually no silver value.
President Nix also mentioned that if a member’s dues were
unpaid as of April 1; their name would be dropped from the
membership rolls. However, if that person wished to rejoin the
club and their membership number was still available, they need
only pay their $12.00 dues at that time and retain their number.

The upcoming Show: Bourse chairman David Chism
announced that the raffle tickets are now available for our May
11-12, 2013 Show and the donation is $1.00 per raffle or six for
$5.00. As for the publicity, David also reported that in addition
to publicizing the event in the local media announcements were
being placed in Numismatic News , Coin World and hopefully,
“The Numismatist”, monthly publication of the American
Numismatic Association as well. President Nix also made an
appeal to members that the club needs more of its membership
to attend these events, otherwise the dealers will not want to do
the show in the future

Show & Tell. President Nix displayed proof and business strike
examples of the 2113 Girl Scout commemorative coins.

The program Amo Safran held another annual PowerPoint
Grading bee. He projected close-up images of a number of
certified coins—minus the grades—asking the members to grade
each one from the multiple choices shown. The following slide
displayed the coin inside the hermetically sealed plastic holder
with the actual grade appearing on the label.

The prizewinners at the March 21 meeting were Glenn
Sanders and Stacey Plooster, each winning a 2011 silver eagle.
The 50/50 Drawing was mn by Richard Abraham - $73.00.
Congratulations to our three winners.

Our program for our April 18 meeting will be presented by
Garry Naples, a serious collector of Morgan dollars and a recent
arrival to the CSRA. Garry will give a PowerPoint presentation
on Carson City Morgan dollars highlighting the overdate issues
of 1880.

Our next meeting, April 18 will be the final one before our
May 10-11 show. Please volunteer to help with the set-up,
take-down or at the Welcoming Desk for a one hour period. Let
President Nix or David Chism know in what capacity you wish
to serve. The show hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM both days.
There are a number of ways to reach Patriot’s Park depending
on where you live. From points east, take 1-20 to Interchange
190. Make right at end of ramp; then left on Columbia Rd.
After passing the Bartram Trail sub-division make a right into
Patriot’s Park. From the west, take 1-20 to interchange #183.
Make left on to Route 221; then right on Columbia Rd. Just
past William Few Parkway light, make a left into Patriot’s Park.

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